We can agree for sure that the main failure in Kurland was in the community, not so much in the design itself.
I mean in the community in the sense that the change we have seen in the Main Arena players has affected the once strong scenario-addicted part of the community.
Many have left die the account for the burn out coming from the new Main Arena gameplay.
Some are still around (like me, even if I am recovering a burn out myself) and show in the scenarios.
But for sure the big numbers of good scenario players are gone.
For a good scenario player I mean a player that want to play the role in full immersion, who want to abide the rules and the orders up to the bitter end
, who dont care what plane have to fly or wich mission have to do, is here for the immersion factor (yes, ok, to win, too, but not exclusively), and so on.
We are putting many hopes in the TOD, but I am worried that it will not help to bring back the "good" ones, and since HTC need to earn the living from this game, the main-style playerbase will prevail at the end, the Borgs, we will be left with the choise to be assimilated, or fly for greener pastures.
After this nice touch of optimism,
about Kurland's design:
On the bombers I agree, the choise cut have been better (B26s, for example), maybe even cutting out the fixed targets.
As for the ships, maybe you forgot that I lost one of the 2 battleships due to the A20s, and the other one was saved because I moved it in a "safer" zone.
The tactics.
I used a tactic in some way dictated by the design itself:
With each player having 3 lifes, one for each type, I devided each squad in 3 subgroups, each section starting with one different of the 3 ride type.
At the end of each mission, the survivors of the section had the orders to land the ride and switch to the next type, the others sections of the group doing the same in almost the same moment.
In this way I had 3 fresh waves of the basic force configuration, with a possible fourth wave composed of the surviving rides.
Part one completed, optimization of forces.
Placement:
AFAIK, the map design suggested 3 main directives of attack:
- southern, along the coast, with little artillery coverage on your side, probably of medium difficulty for you, having too few bases to mount a main attack, and with a good configuration to mount a flanking counter attack from the center bases.
I placed there a medium tanks unit.
- Center, almost no artillery on your side, bad "roads", very positive in position for me. In this sector I decided to stand ground and placed one heavy and two medium tank units, all in such a position to resist an attack in said directive, but capable to support relatively easyly the defence of the other 2 directives.
- Northern, where you had the better artillery configuration (at least for the first strike), but where I had the opportunity to mount a counterfire on my own bases to interdict the battlefield (this was Camo's genial idea). on this directive I placed the other heavy unit, plus a medium one (working on memories, so the total count may be wrong). This was the directive you choose.
I then placed the planes, with the jabos in 2 groups deep in the back, between the directives, and the fighters in 3 groups, along the directives (but in second line), with the deep flexible defence of the command group and a fighter group as interceptors/second line fighters.
At this point the game was only to filter the sighings of the spotters (people waiting to up GVs) scattered along the line, trying to guess "where the horde is attacking".
The differential placements of my units, and consequentially the different timing of arrival on the battlezone, gave the impression of multiple waves of small groups for each of the 3 real waves of units, each section, at the arrival, had the correct weapon for the duty.
My only role, after the planning part, was to hold my bloodthirsty men at bay, untill the horde show itself and then point and shout "there", unleashing the wolves.
The amaizing Group leaders and combatants that I had the fortune and the honor to command, took care of the rest, with my little contribute in timing the rotation.
Now I gotta go work.
cya later
